The Melton political fallout from the violent protests at the u.s. Embassy in Baghdad has been swift even after the protestors departed Reuters Matthew Lara's Honda has more head areas a ranking member of the coalition known as the popular mobilization forces the p.m.s. Leadership says their message has been heard and never intended for violence. There to train Iraqi forces or combat terrorism he says. The killing of p.m.s. Numbers is on acceptable. The u.s. Airstrikes that targeted the ca tell you. Which falls under the Pm of some killed or wounded scores only to have a cow tell you is considered a terrorist organization by Washington even though it's technically a unit within the Iraqi government's own armed forces the prime minister is furious over the airstrikes but has pleaded for calm enough says it's a call to withdraw is in deference to them. As Matthew Levitt on the reporting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is planning to ask parliament to grant him immunity from prosecution for alleged corruption that some move that could put off a trial until the March elections until after March elections Netanyahu has been indicted on several charges including allegations of accepting lavish gifts and trading political favors for positive news coverage he has called himself the victim of a political witch hunt Rudy Giuliani u.s. President Donald Trump's personal attorney says he would testify at the president's looming impeachment trial and do whatever he can to see the president acquitted Giuliani is a key figure in pressing Ukraine to launch investigations to benefit Mr Trump politically you can find more on this and other stories online at our website v.o.a. News dot com You're listening to news. At least 3 people have been confirmed dead Wednesday as a result of devastating bushfires that engulfed Australia's southeast coast at least 15 people are now believed to have died in the blazes and scores of people remain missing after weeks of fires that have ripped through Australia's east coast much of which is tinder dry after 3 years of drought Prime Minister Scott Morrison deny the last it's that in particular Victoria's requested they are in place. To assist with any evacuation of a Victorian but the weather conditions that very difficult bush fires have destroyed more than 4000000 hectares new blazes are sparked almost daily by extremely hot and windy conditions and most recently dry lightning strikes created by the fire some selves Indonesia's capital Jakarta is grappling with deadly floods the worst had seen in years Reuters Ryan Brooks flash floods and landslides have brought chaos across Southeast Asia's biggest city the death toll on Thursday stood at more than 20 people and tens of thousands more are displaced train lines are blocked and parts of the city are without power on New Year's Day in the city's East water levels were more than 6 feet high Jakarta is slowly sinking because of an over extraction of groundwater it's part of why Indonesia is moving the capital to another part of the country rising sea levels make the threat of flooding even worse that's writers Ryan Brooks reporting a deadly prison brawl in northern Mexico is considered one of the worst outbreaks of violence since President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took office writers Livia Chan has more 16 inmates were killed and 5 others wounded in a prison fight in northern Mexico it marks one of the West outbreaks of violence since President Lopez Obrador took power. The fight broke out Choose day at a correctional facility in the town of us Local media say the dispute was triggered by a soccer game afterwards one inmate was arrested with a firearm and 3 more guns were found and the prison authorities did not comment on the cause of the deadly brawl However local officials confirmed the situation was brought under control at the Livia Chan reporting Hong Kong celebrate Tory mood on the 1st day of 2020 was marred by tear gas and water cannons that ploy by police on a largely peaceful crowd and the arrest of some 400 people at a March attended by hundreds of thousands in what has been seen as a months in what has been a months long anti-government movement. A local official told reporters late on Wednesday the police arrested about 400 people on New Year's Day He said police fired tear gas after main surrounded by protesters throwing objects at them. And you're listening to the news. Pretty. Known names. Talking. Saying. You know you. Have the. Money. Bag. Solves. post Malone's Wow Billy Eilish is bad guy Hall c without me postpone what sunflower and little Nas x. Was in the number one spot with Old Town Road My name is Nicky strong and this is be a way one that hits. Welcome to learning English daily 30 minute program from the Voice of America Jonathan of it and I'm Ashley Thompson this program is aimed at English learners so we speak a little slower and we use words and phrases especially written for people learning English. Today on the program you will hear from and ball and brawl in Lead later Ashley and I will present our American history series The Making of a nation. But 1st. Lego's have been a popular toy for children for more than 60 years when children get older boxes of plastic Lego bricks often end up unused and stored in out of the way places around the home parents sometimes end up throwing the Lego's away now the Lego Group toy company is testing a program to make sure the unwanted bricks do not go to waste the program is called Lego replay it and am still make sure the unwanted building blocks continue to make children happy 10 Brooks is the Lego company's vice president of environmental sustainability he told v.o.a. Nearly all Lego bricks we see that are out there have lots more play value and I'm multi generations of play value it's a waste of energy and resources to grind them up and make new bricks Brooks said the idea came from parents who do not know what to do with the old bricks placing old alay goes in waste containers is not a good answer birds and other wildlife may try to eat what looks like colorful food with deadly results with the Les Go replay program parents load unwanted Lego's of all shapes and colors into boxes then they go to the program website and print out a mailing label. The boxes are sent to processing centers where the bricks are sorted cleaned and shipped to aid groups and donation center. 2 groups taking part in the test program our Teach for America and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston in the last 2 months Brooks said the 2 groups have received $3000.00 boxes of Lego bricks users have downloaded about 9000 shipping labels Brooks said the Lego bricks made it 60 years ago can still be used as part of a Lego set manufactured just last week he added You can't think of many things you can buy off the shelf today that work exect way with something you bought in the late 1950 s. The Lego replay test program is set to last through March if it is successful the program may be expanded to include other Lego products the lake a group is also looking at other materials to use in their toys while plastic has proved to be the strongest material Ledo has to be done making some bricks out of sugarcane. Clothing designers are turning to unusual plants and used materials to make products that better use natural resources more people are paying closer attention to how the production of clothing affects the environment however some experts say that the idea of buy and throw away still rules when it comes to clothes this is true although some famous people support a movement to reuse and recycle clothing actress Maggie q. Created a line of clothes from recycled fabrics she is among activists who believe more can be done to waste less she says she feels sick about fast fashion low cost clothes that can be worn once then thrown away the British design team then and only looks for creative ways to make the industry more sustainable their clothing is worn by former 1st lady Michelle Obama and singers beyond say and Lady Gaga. The team found latex from Malaysia but when they discovered the conditions for the work there were bad they bought the operation in their office in the English countryside they grow unusual crops for cloth development These include chesnuts from trees and horseradish their latest line of clothes includes ones made from nettle plants alpaca hair and recycled plastic from paint containers another English designer Zoe core solace keeps her carbon footprint low by manufacturing her clothes in London the cloth comes from the United Kingdom and Germany she makes the cloth from wood products c waste and something called piece silk it is considered a better method for silk worms then the traditional silk production process Belgian designer Sebastian de new a berg is recycling plastic bottles car parts and machines used in homes plastic waste is collected and torn into small pieces for a 3 d. Printer waste I believe is design failure he said. More famous people are also playing a part in the movement they are buying vintage or old clothes used by people long ago others where a set of clothes more than once thi Gill feather is sustainability expert with the nonprofit group Oxfam she said there is hope that more will be done the textile industry is getting close to working out how to do fiber to fiber recycling she said such recycling takes clothes that are no longer wanted or needed and breaks them down into raw materials to make new clothing she said the industry needs to move faster because carbon emissions from the textile manufacturers are predicted to increase 60 percent by 2050. Some fast fashion industry leaders including Zahra and h. And m. Stores have launched clothing take back play ens aimed at recycling old clothes but for now recycling and 0 waste goal is mostly a small part of the world wide industry. I'm a on ball. America's strongest digital privacy law has taken effect in California the law known as the California Consumer Privacy Act c c.p.a. Requires businesses to inform consumers about the ways in which they collect and share personal information the law gives consumers the right to request that companies not so or share their data it also requires businesses to destroy information already collected if the consumer asks to have it removed the law covers the sale of data related to almost any sharing of information that can help a business this includes information sharing between companies as well as the selling of data by 3rd party businesses. Large online businesses such as Facebook and Google are affected by the law so our major retail companies Wal-Mart and Home Depot among others say they have added Do not sell my info links to their websites to make it easier for consumers to exercise their rights the businesses said they have also put the information on signs inside their stores digital experts say it remains unclear how the c. C.p.a. Will affect the kind of targeted advertising commonly used by companies like Facebook and Google Facebook collects large amounts of personal data and uses the information to direct ads at different groups of people the data could include someone's sex race or religion Facebook says it does not share that kind of personal information with advertisers the experts say that because the law covers any company that meets conditions for interacting with state residents the California law might end up serving as a legal model for other states if we do this right in California said California attorney general Xavier Becerra the state will put the capital p. Back into privacy for all Americans California's legislation is the nation's biggest effort yet aimed at fighting against so-called surveillance capitalism. This term describes the business of profiting from data that most Americans give up often unknowingly in exchange for free and often ad supported services in a statement about the c.c.p. a In October but Sarah said that personal data is what is powering today's wealthy digital economy it's time we had control over the use of our personal data that includes keeping it private he said but Sarah added that he sees the law as a historic step forward in putting the people of California 1st in the age of the Internet some experts have noted that some parts of the law will likely bring legal challenges one such challenge could center on constitutional concerns related to the many different areas covered by the law the experts say the law's many exceptions could also be problematic as well as the fact that it only affects information collected by businesses not the government critics say the law's exceptions permit companies to keep holding personal information on consumers in some situations even after individuals request that the data be destroyed for example a company can keep personal data if it decides it needs it to finish the sales process a company could also continue to hold information in a way that the consumer would reasonably expect them to Joseph Jerome is a policy director at the privacy group Common Sense Media kids action. He told the Associated Press that the law is more of a right to request and hope for deletion the law offers stronger protections for children for example it bans the sale of data on children under 16 without permission digital experts also noted that the law leaves it up to California citizens themselves to exercise their new rights to make the law effective consumers will need to take direct action to opt out of data sales or request collected information Margot Kaminski is a professor of law at the University of Colorado who studies legal technology issues she told the a.p. That many people currently do not take the time to read existing privacy agreements because they are long and complex Kaminski said if you aren't even reading privacy agreements that you are signing Are you really going to request your data I'm Brian Len. And now all we present the making of a nation. The American nation began to expand west during the middle $1800.00. People settled in the great open areas of the Dakotas Utah Wyoming and California. The movement forced the nation to deal with great trot of Native American Indians. The n.t. And sad lived in the western territories for hundreds of years. Settlers and cattle ranchers pushed the n.d.a. And out of their homelands. The result was a series of wars between the try and the federal government. At 1st the United States government had just one policy to deal with the Indians it was brutal whenever settlers wanted Indian land the tribes were pushed farther west if the Indians protested or tried to defend their land they were destroyed with a crushing force by the middle 18 hundreds almost all the Eastern Indians had been moved west of the Mississippi River they were given land in Indian Territory and what is now the state of Oklahoma the government described these Indians as civilized This meant they were too weak to cause more trouble many agreed to follow the ways of the United States government the end the ends of the Western grasslands were different they refused to give up their way of life these planes and the ends were always on the move because they hunted buffalo the American bison they followed a great groups of the animals across the grassy plains at that time there were millions of these animals in the American West. The end the ends of the plains depended on the buffalo for almost everything they needed many of them were fierce fighters the Plains Indians did not want settlers crossing their hunting lands they often try to destroy a the wagon trains carrying settlers to California and Oregon where the United States Army was given the job of keeping peace soldiers were sent to build roads and forts in the western plains they tried to protect the wagon trains from Indian attacks they tried to keep settlers from invading Indian lands there were many fights between the soldiers and the Plains Indians the soldiers had more powerful weapons they usually won some Plains Indians tried to live peacefully with the settlers one such group was part of the Sioux tribe called Santee suit it was the largest and most powerful group in the West the Santis who lived along the north eastern edge of the Great Plains in what is now the state of Minnesota they signed the treaty ease with the government giving up 90 percent of their land the sand agreed to live in a smaller area in exchange the United States agreed to make yearly payments to the tribe this made it possible for the n.b.a. And to buy food and other things from traders trouble started however in the summer of 1862. The government was late giving the Indians their yearly payment as a result the Indians lacked the money to buy food traders refused to give the Indians credit to buy food one trader said if they are hungry let them eat grass the Indians were hungry soon their hunger turned to anger finally the local Indian chief called his men to gather he gave the orders for war early the next morning the tribe attacked the trading the stores many of the traders were killed including the man who had insulted the Indians he was found with his mouth filled with grass the governor of Minnesota sent a force of the state soldiers to stop the Indian revolt the soldiers had artillery they killed several 100 Indians in battle they hanged several others soon the revolt was over trouble came next to parts of Colorado and Wyoming this is where the Sioux Indians and the Cheyenne Indians lived the chief of the Lakota Sioux Tribe was named Red Cloud the n.d. Ends fought bitterly to keep settlers out of their hunting grounds after 2 years of fighting with many deaths on both sides the government decided the struggle was too costly it asked for Pete's. The Sioux and the Cheyenne agreed they were given a large area of land and that north of Wyoming and the Dakota Territory they also were given the right to use their old hunting lands farther north the government agreed to close a road used by settlers to cross the hunting grounds and all soldiers were withdrawing from soon country he is here 'd. The war ended and peace came to the Sioux and the Cheyenne with peace came a new United States policy towards Indians of the west the government decided to put aside an area of land for each tribe the land was called a reservation each tribe would live on its own reservation most of the reservations were in Indian Territory and in what is now the state of Oklahoma other reservations or n. Dakota near the land of the sue the government believed it would cost less money and fewer laws to keep the ends on reservations the n.d. Ns would be away from possible trouble with settlers. Instead of moving freely over the plains to hunt buffalo the Indians would live in one place they would receive food and money from the government officials came from Washington to explain this new policy to the end the ends a big meeting was held chiefs representing many tri attended the Chiefs spoke one after another to the government officials all of the chiefs said they too wished to live in peace with the United States government but many questioned the decision to move to reservations one who did so was chief 10 bears of the Comanche tribe he said there are things which you have said to me that I do not like you said you wanted to put us on a reservation you said you would build houses for us I do not want your houses I was born on the plains where the wind blows free and there is nothing to break the light of the Sun I was born where everything breathed a free breath. I want to die there not within the walls. So the government and the end the ends reached a compromise the tribes were given reservations in Indian Territory but they were also given permission to hunt buffalo in a wide area south of the reservations. The n.d. Ns agreed to give up all their old lands they agreed to live in peace on the reservations in exchange the United States promised to give the n.d. Ns all the food clothing and other things they needed it also promised to give them schools and medical care the Indians were not happy with this agreement they did not want to give up their old ways of living however they saw they had no choice the government was too strong they waited weeks then months for help to move to the new reservation. They could not understand the delay in carrying out the agreement the delay was in Washington d.c. Congress could not agree on how much money to spend on the Indians so the lawmakers refused to approve the agreement they left the situation on settled again Indians were forced to watch angrily as settlers began moving on to lands they had agreed to give up as the settlers moved in the box follow and other animals left the Indians had difficulty finding food soldiers shared their food with the n.d. Ends it was not enough Western officials sent urgent messages to Washington asking for supplies for the end DNS. No supplies could be sent until Congress approved the money to buy them as before some of the Indians became angry and refused to wait any longer their anger led to new fighting in the end it was a fight that failed to win back their land. And that's our program for today listen again tomorrow to learn English 3 stories from around the world I'm Jonathan Evans and I'm Ashley Thompson. This is v.o.a. News I'm Arista Melton the situation at the u.s. Embassy in Iraq's capital was quieter Thursday after Iranian backed paramilitary groups left the area the withdrawal brought to a close a 2 day standoff The began with militia men and their supporters attacking the embassy compound wrecking reception area and setting several fires and writing graffiti as they protested against u.s. Air strikes on Iran backed militia group those strikes which took place in Iraq and Syria came in response to the killing of a u.s. Contractor in Iraq attack. Australian officials have given tourist thousands of tourists less than 48 hours to evacuate from coastal areas of Australia as the country prepares for searing heat that's expected to aggravate deadly bushfires at a news conference Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says authorities are responding to widespread power outages and fuel shortages due to the wildfires Victoria and New South Wales which have been completely devastated. Communications every absolute if it is in trying to ensure there is to be stood up as soon as possible. Authorities are warning visitors to leave before Saturday when temperatures are expected to climb above 40 degrees Celsius the heat coupled with gusting winds is expected to create dangerous conditions that officials say could be as bad as any so far. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday said he would ask parliament to grant him immunity for corruption charges that's a step that could delay his trial for months step most likely put the trial on hold until after elections in March when he hopes to win a majority coalition that would shield him from prosecution Netanyahu was indicted November on charges of bribery fraud and breach of trust from Washington d.c. You're listening to news. The death toll from flash floods and landslides in and around Indonesia's capital Jakarta continued to rise Thursday with more heavy rain forecast the floods are the worst the city seen in years Ryan Brooks has more the death toll on Thursday stood at more than 20 people and tens of thousands more are displaced train lines are blocked and parts of the city are without power to Carter is slowly sinking because of an over extraction of groundwater it's part of why Indonesia is moving the capital to another part of the country rising sea levels make the threat of flooding even worse in recent years officials have tried to help better protect the city during the rainy season however on Thursday President Joko Widodo urge the government to step up but I regarding floods the central government is still quite snoo and a lot of projects still aren't finished this summer he adds reservoirs aren't ready until next year Indonesia's weather agency has forecast more heavy rain through Thursday that's writers Ryan Brooks reporting a deadly prison brawl in northern Mexico as.